もう一ヶ月

It's been a month since my independence. I'm really getting used to staying alone here in a foreign land, albeit missing home occasionally. I'm thankful for the wonderful friends I've made here, for they made my stay here so worthwhile! I've about 8 weekends here. and they've been pretty well spent so far, one of which saw myself travelling miles away from here, to the countryside where my itoko (cousin) who's there on exchange, resides. It was the longest bus ride I've ever taken, a total of 10-11 hours, which felt like more coz I was all alone. The weekend away from the city was fabulous nevertheless. It was also when I had my virgin onsen experience. Yes, they wear nothing in an onsen, and that's their way of life. For me, a little awkward at the beginning, but after a while, I really felt like I was one of 'them'.

Weekends with myself, I'd just travel ard with my 'pasomo' (ezlink) card. Speaking of which, I've learnt how to appreciate Smrt and SBStransit fares. What we pay in Singapore really pales in comparison. I dread the high cost of living here every single day, almost spending in the thousands by far. This is the world's busiest cross-junction in Shibuya. That day, I combed Shibuya 109, the tower where Japan's trendiest teen fashion thrives. They had a 5 day bargain sale then, and the biggest 'bargains' were going for 3k-4k yen. that's abt $50 to $60 dollars for stuff and can possibly be categorised as ahlian stuff. Well, this is Japanese fashion. I bought a few pieces which I thought were nice. That day really burned a HUGE hole in my pocket.

Sometimes, it would be meeting up with friends for a meal or two. Most of my friends are adults though. It's nice to socialize with different people, it matures me, to a certain extent.

Work wise, I should say this stint really widens my knowledge of B2B marketing. The seminars I attended taught me in detail the product, the industry here, our customers, and the company structure. With the 70% of the stuff I understood (coz all seminars were in Japanese), it made me appreciate what I learn in business school, even the foundation modules. They were essential, after all. However, everything just builds up from there. Working in a real firm is really nothing like what we study in school. I'm glad I have 2 more years in school to better appreciate what I study. :)